Young Polish Catholics celebrate faith at annual gathering

Thousands of young Catholics from across Poland celebrated their faith at an annual gathering in the west of the country at the weekend.

The annual Lednica Youth Meeting features a massive structure known as the 'Fish Gate' and symbolizing Christianity.

Photo: PAP/Paweł Jaskółka

The Lednica Youth Meeting near the historic city of Gniezno ended with a symbolic rite of passage in the early hours of Sunday, public broadcaster Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.

The President of the Polish Episcopates @Abp_Gadecki welcomed the youth gathered on the Fields of Lednica: This journey leads us to Christ Himself, who is a Person, who is neither an idea nor an ideology. Without an encounter with Christ the Person, there is no Christianity. pic.twitter.com/RKbkySzies

— Church in Poland (@ChurchInPoland) June 3, 2023

Pope Francis sent greetings to those gathered, who included pilgrims from countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic and Ukraine, according to Poland's PAP news agency.

The event in the Lednica Fields culminated with a walk at midnight under a massive structure known as the "Fish Gate" and symbolizing Christianity, state broadcaster TVP reported.

The prayer vigil is held every year near where Poland's first ruler, Mieszko I, is thought to have been baptised in 966 AD.

About 92 percent of Poles declare themselves to be Catholics, according to statistics released by officials last year.

Polish Radio was a media partner of the Lednica Youth Meeting event, which took place for the 27th time.

Na Polach Lednickich trwa 27. Ogólnopolskie Spotkanie Młodych. Uczestnicy przejdą przez Bramę Rybę https://t.co/RgHdH0T7A3

— PolskieRadio24.pl (@PR24_pl) June 3, 2023

More info at lednica2000.pl.

(gs)

Source: IAR, TVP